Dover
Dover is a port town that faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the Channel. It's properly stormy here - and there have been four storms this month alone. An underground train runs under the Channel to Paris, and the station is set up as close to the water as possible. The harbour is down a hill, and has a number of ships tied off. Off to the side are the White Cliffs of Dover, which in this universe is where the Temple of Poseidon is housed. While the party is there, the flood waters are beginning to overwhelm the city. The drains are completely overflowing, and there are puddles all throughout the streets, large enough that it's impeding traffic. Certain streets have been closed off, properties on the edges of the sea and cliffs have been emptied. The Soggy Admiral The seafood restaurant that the party goes to in Dover. The clientele here is upmarket, and most of them are merchants. Military Base/Naval Academy The academy has big walls and big gates and a gavel drive leading up to it. It's a large and well-lit building; it's most likely Meritocratic funded. There's a butler at the door to take coats. There's a little lounge off to the side, with upholstered furniture, dry tactical volumes on the walls, and a fire burning. Through this room there's a dining room, with a long table. Each of the rooms that the party stay in are basically four-posters - very much so a naval academy. Breakfast is self-service in the canteen. There is an interior training yard and an exterior one; the interior is more like a gym, and the exterior is more like an open yard. The courtroom is clearly used for formal occasions; it's large, with a simple table set up that's backed up against the very large fireplace. There's a single chair in the middle of the hall, and a small table about 20 feet to the left with chairs for the rest. At the far end, there are large stained glass windows depicting a ship at sea with sailors and all that jazz. Police Station/Jail The police station is a stereotypical old-timey police station. It's quite small, with an attached jail with holding cells. It has thick walls and bars on the windows. Inside, there is a desk sergeant handling the admin, and a few other officers standing around to assist. Through another door, there are the holding cells, with a table that's used for inventorying what prisoners have. There are four cells; two empty, one with someone who seems who be sleeping it off. Zolf is locked in the end cell. The sort-of consultation room is a standard police interrogation room. There's a table bolted the floor, chairs on each side, and a grated panel at the main door. There are no two-way/one-way mirrors; it's just a featureless room. La Rochelle This is the poshest hotel in Dover, and where the rest of the party stays after Zolf has been arrested (instead of staying at the naval academy). It has verandas, and is incredibly upmarket, with French servants, French waiters, French receptionists, etc. They stay on the top floor, which is the nicest suite they have. There are two pairs of connected rooms, with a double bed in each, and a room between. Temple of Poseidon The entrance to the temple of Poseidon is at the head of the cliffs on the outskirts of the town. There are alternate entrances by sea as well. It's a long climb up the temple. They're absolutely massive; carved into the side of the cliffs is Poseidon, wielding a trident above tempestuous seas, rescuing soldiers from the ocean. It's incredibly detailed, and must have been done with magic (additionally, it probably has magic keeping it up. The path up trails through the mural. Behind the main carved area, there are loads of depicted scenes carved even deeper. As they walk by a number of shrines, each depicts a scene of Poseidon in various roles to create a fresco. The entrance is a set of double doors built into Poseidon's mouth (allegedly, Poseidon looks like James Ross, screaming). Zolf opens them by stamping his trident on the ground and saying "The tides part for the faithful!" The interior is dimly lit, with flaming torches on the walls and two guards with tridents. The entrance is effectively a tunnel, large enough for the party to walk side by side. Inside, you can still hear the waves crashing against the cliffs, and sounds of chanting and incantations. A door at the end of the tunnel leads into a new room; the door is incredibly strong, inlaid with mithril, gems, pearls, etc. It's the same size as the outer doors; the tunnel widens and you can see through the door to the other side. The anteroom is mostly unworked stone, and looks like natural caves. There's some decoration and some gilding, but for the most part it looks very natural. There's large flowing water running through the middle of the room; the ceiling is arched and has outcroppings, and the floor is uneven. There are a few other openings leading into other caves; the water reflects through the cavern. Another opening at the far end that leads to a massive cavern, opening onto a balcony that looks above a council chamber. Around the room are multiple balconies; there's a lot of torches flickering, almost certainly magical. There's a waterfall running through the middle of it leading into a large, magical pool at the bottom. At the base of the pool, there's a semicircular arrangement of chairs in tiers. A staircase leads down from the balcony, circling round and connecting to other balconies before leading down toward the pool. A side tunnel leads out of the cavern and down a narrow pathway to another cavern, set against the sea at the base of the cliffs. There's a dock there with multiple ships, and a magical barrier protecting it from the waves crashing outside. The Channel When the party sails across the tunnel, the entire sea is tempestuous, with about 30-foot high waves. The wind is incredibly strong, to the point where the driftwood ship is tipping based on the wind rather than the waves. As they get to the eye of the storm, the waves begin to lessen, and sunlight behind the clouds overhead. On all sides, it's still massively tempestuous. The waves aren't crashing as much as they are peaking and swelling. At the other end of the channel, there is a beach - uninhabited. The Eurotunnel The rail station in Dover is incredibly packed, with a queue of angry-looking people at the entrance. There's a steel grate shutter which is halfway closed, and a bit of water is starting to come into the station. Inside, it's large, with high ceilings. The train, which may have been shut down but for Bertie's intervention, has old-style carriages, with walnut paneling and stained glass in the windows. There's a large number of cargo; about 3 carriages for people, and 3-4 carriages for cargo and freight. The engine at the front is about 20ft tall - it's more reminiscent of a diesel engine with a snub nose. Arcs of lightning go around the outer hull; it's powered by lightning elementals. Bertie's compartment is quiet and calm, and is in the frontmost passenger carriage. The tunnel itself is flooded. It dips downward, and the water level starts to creep up. Eventually, it is around Bertie's chest height. Off to the side, there's a service tunnel that appears to be open, with a door with a stairway leading up to a platform, with three paths - one toward Calais, one toward Dover, and one doubling back across the tunnel. Category:Location Category:World-building